Hung Cao tasked with modernizing Navy’s IT, business systems

Hung Cao, the new undersecretary of the Navy, has been tasked with spearheading digital modernization across the department.

Cao was confirmed by the Senate last week as the Navy’s No. 2 civilian official and sworn in by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Secretary of the Navy John Phelan has already given the new undersecretary what a press release described as a “wide-ranging cross departmental portfolio” that “unifies the Department’s most consequential levers for rebuilding warrior ethos and quality of service.”

That remit includes leading and synchronizing digital modernization efforts.

“As Chief Management Officer, the UNSECNAV will partner with the Department of the Navy Chief Information Officer to modernize unclassified Information Technology systems and critical Defense Business Systems. Cut downtime. Simplify processes. Get Sailors, Marines, civilians and families the tools they need fast,” per Phelan’s directive, which was outlined in an Oct. 3 announcement.

The undersecretary’s portfolio will also include overseeing efforts related to “quality of service,” audit readiness, recruiting, Reserve reform, wellness and suicide prevention, permanent change of station (PCS) and education options for families, personnel policy, “standards and warfighter ethos,” and Guam, according to the announcement.

Regarding Guam, Cao has been tasked to “review and assess island infrastructure and clear barriers, including energy and material challenges, so Guam delivers as a frontline power-projection platform for Indo-Pacific operations.”

Cao is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and was commissioned as a special operations officer, serving as a diver and explosive ordnance technician. During his long career in uniform, he deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan during the post-9/11 wars. He also worked at the Pentagon, including as the section head for the budget programming division in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, according to his LinkedIn profile. After leaving the Navy, he ran unsuccessfully for U.S. House and Senate seats as a Republican candidate in Virginia during the 2022 and 2024 election cycles, respectively.

President Donald Trump nominated Cao for the Navy undersecretary position earlier this year.

“Military bureaucracy in the acquisitions process have slowed down the production of not only ships and submarines, but also bombs, missiles and torpedoes,” Cao said in his written statement for his confirmation hearing in June with the Senate Armed Services Committee.

“Senators, we have a generation eager to serve and sacrifice for this nation. They grew up in the digital age where technology evolved at quantum speed. They deserve the best training and weapons available. Their intrinsic desire to solve problems using technology should not be stifled by red tape,” he added.

In an Oct. 3 statement, Phelan said the undersecretary’s new remit “puts one quarterback and one playbook on the field to execute my gameplan for upgrading how we recruit, train, equip and take care of our people, so the Fleet stays the world’s premier, most lethal maritime force.”

“From his years in uniform and his record of leadership, [Cao] will cut through bureaucracy, drive real solutions and keep our people first,” Phelan added.